The Thirty-Five Races of the Barn Owl

The Class of Birds (called Aves) consists of 27 different orders. One of these orders, Strigiformes, contains all the worlds owls, and is divided into two families: Strigidae (the so-called true or typical owls) and Tytonidae (known as barn owls).

Photo courtesy of Murray Lord

Overall there are about 216 species of owls, with around 200 in the typical owl family, and 16 species in the barn owl family. The bird most typically known as the barn owl is Tyto alba, which is what we concern ourselves with here.

The diversifying effect of the genetic isolation found on islands is quite evident in the subspecies of Tyto alba: of the 35 races, 20 inhabit only relatively small islands. In fact, the worldwide range of the barn owl is mostly achieved through the ranges of only 11 of its subspecies.

Wherever they live, barn owls remain cavity nesters, are attracted to the structures of man, and also can be attracted to nest boxes.

New World Barn Owls

North American Barn Owl (Tyto alba pratincola): This is the barn owl of the United States and Central America. This subspecies has one of the largest ranges of any of the races.